This is a discussion on Pics: Tata Motors unveil the Aria (Indicruze) at the Auto Expo 2010. Video: Pg 52 within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; Originally Posted by .anshuman
If Tata had courtesy of recalling the vehicles, they would have easily recalled 70% of vehicles ...

If Tata had courtesy of recalling the vehicles, they would have easily recalled 70% of vehicles by now. Everybody here knows Tata sort of does Beta testing on its customers, and the best time to buy a Tata vehicle is when it has spent some time being on sale.

Well they do have courtesy just they call it retrofitting.

For Safari 2.2 ECU Reflash, ECU Cover to protect from water, Timing belt pully and timing belt cover, Front RHS Window winding mechanism and water pump were part of retrofit. An earlier retrofit was for alternator, As these were not life threatening , causing fire or accidents press did not go hyper as in the case of Toyota.

Apart from retrofit almost every other week I get invitation for free checkup from one or other dealer which I politely decline most of the time.

In this free checkup they give free body wash + dashboard polish + tyre dressing, Jack the vehicle up to spray used oil on under body, tighten bolts if required, Check wheel bearings and lower arm, top up all the fluids FOC and report problem if there is any thing wrong. Apply gel to battery terminal and give a token gift such as leather wallet or some other thing.

I think the above is a small gesture to repair dented image they have but people mostly ignore it.

Noticeably Toyota and Honda provide a better product quality in India then in US and Europe which never warrant any product recall or retrofit as you may like to call it.

I think when we mention the kind of nos. the Aria will sell in India and wether such a major effort on Tata's part was worth it, we tend to overlook the fact that there is plenty of potential for exports.

I for one am looking forward to a true Indian car running on UK roads, which I can point out and say thats made by an Indian co. Ofcourse in todays globalized enviorment such things are irrelevant and one can call it misplaced patriotism, but there is still a sense of pride when something 'Made in India' can hold its own against rest of the world.

Saw a white ARIA being tested at Coimbatore. It was entering a bunk for filling fuel at Avinashi road. The TATA badges were not there and the twin tail pipes were not integrated with the end pipes on the bumper/diffuser.

Based on Autocar UKs write up about the Aria I think it was a 4 Star NCAP rating, which is pretty decent for a car based on a ladder frame structure especially comparing to other UVs using such a chasis eg. Ford Ranger(on which the Endeavour SUV is based)- 2 stars, Nissan Navara - 3 stars, Mitsubishi L200 - 4 stars, all based on adult protection.

Hahaha... Lets really hope I am lucky so that I don't have to watch 80s Toyota running 500k miles in my next life (Would that be post apocalyptic world? what a set back). On the other hand I wouldn't mind seeing in a museum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Saw a white ARIA being tested at Coimbatore. It was entering a bunk for filling fuel at Avinashi road. The TATA badges were not there and the twin tail pipes were not integrated with the end pipes on the bumper/diffuser.

This seems like an older prototype. Hope these older cars are properly disposed so that another dealer does not repeat the fiasco of selling old prototypes

We are nearing the launch date. It is disappointing that we still don't have any scoop on the specifications and variants. We badly need new scoops here

If Tata had courtesy of recalling the vehicles, they would have easily recalled 70% of vehicles by now. Everybody here knows Tata sort of does Beta testing on its customers, and the best time to buy a Tata vehicle is when it has spent some time being on sale.

How many vehicles did Honda/Toyota recall in India? To answer you in one statement "no auto maker had the courtesy to recall in India".

Quote:

Originally Posted by MihirC

If Honda/Toyota/Maruti recall a million vehicles , in India it will be percieved as a great initiative or effort by these companies to resolve the issues in the car and cater to its customers but if TATA does any recalls at the moment, it would be immediately branded as a a non reliable brand.

Well said. That's the colonial hangover effect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitk26

Noticeably Toyota and Honda provide a better product quality in India then in US and Europe which never warrant any product recall or retrofit as you may like to call it.

Hahaha. Nicely put. Inspite of everything in the vehicles being the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortbread

Well said Amitk26..

I for one am looking forward to a true Indian car running on UK roads, which I can point out and say thats made by an Indian co. Ofcourse in todays globalized enviorment such things are irrelevant and one can call it misplaced patriotism, but there is still a sense of pride when something 'Made in India' can hold its own against rest of the world.

People keep saying praises about the Japs and other foreign car manufacturers. But how many of them have offered Euro 4 or 5 engines in India, despite having the same in other foreign markets. What we get is the same old engine, which has already been discontinued in their home markets. Almost all of them have the same suppliers in India as our home grown companies, but still people in India just cannot get away the "Phoren Brand" thing.

Based on Autocar UKs write up about the Aria I think it was a 4 Star NCAP rating, which is pretty decent for a car based on a ladder frame structure especially comparing to other UVs using such a chasis eg. Ford Ranger(on which the Endeavour SUV is based)- 2 stars, Nissan Navara - 3 stars, Mitsubishi L200 - 4 stars, all based on adult protection.

Well, a 4 star NCAP rating is good. Lets just hope TATA promotes all these things instead of keeping quite about them. Looks are subjective but MHO is Aria looks as butch as a MUV can get-check, Safety features-check,comfort features-check, the only things which have to be verified are the space available in the vehicle as well as the the fit and finish of the final product. TATA seems to be ticking most of the boxes right.

Strangely despite being religious about crash testing their vehicles, even as a CV manufacturer, a major reason why Tata's tend to be traditionally overweight, they never seemed to advertise this a lot.

Tatas first attempt into UK with the Safari and the 207 pick up was nothing to write home about, but unlike the Chinese who took a severe beating during NCAP tests and since have been a ridicule, the 'Made in India' brand never raised any safety concerns.

Although this is something that we Indians tend to overlook, this is very very important elsewhere, both for customers and authorities, something M&M are finding out the hard way in the US.

I guess TATA is the only manufacturer to have a crash test facility in India where they test their vehicles. and like you pointed out very strangely they never highlight such facts.

What they need now is a good and aggresive marketing department which not only advertises such salient features but also promotes their importance, the same can be said for FIAT and since TATA is taking care of advertisements for FIAT it would serve them both.